When you don’t believe in a simple solution to a hard…

“If you believe that success is inevitable, you’re less likely to work your tail off in order to achieve it. Hard problems are definitely…

— Nat Greene

“To solve truly hard problems, you’ll need to use a method that doesn’t involve guessing in any step.”

— Nat Greene

“Defining the acceptable and unacceptable ranges for this variable means that the problem definition is objective and immune to opinion.”

— Nat Greene

“Embrace your ignorance. Most people try to solve problems using the knowledge they already have about a process, but it’s what you don’t know…

— Nat Greene

“When a system isn’t working right, someone has to understand how it’s meant to work, at the right depth, in order to fix it.…

— Nat Greene

“When you move down your tree, keep in mind there may be multiple variables contributing to the failure.”

— Nat Greene

“There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance. —HIPPOCRATES, ANCIENT GREEK FOUNDER OF THE SCIENCE OF…

— Nat Greene

“We need to understand what variables most directly control our primary variable by understanding the science behind how the system works.”

— Nat Greene

“Perhaps many aid organizations make assumptions about the problem they are solving, and throw hundreds of billions of dollars at the problem to little…

— Nat Greene

“The last major risk to getting good facts is our own prejudices. While we may not always test a solution based on our opinions…

— Nat Greene

“most methods disguise the guessing stage in some fancy language, such as “determine possible root causes.” This is making a list of guesses, and…

— Nat Greene

“Perhaps the most useful approach for defining the problem well is structuring it as a measurable variable.”

— Nat Greene

“Don’t confuse believing in a simple solution with hoping that a simple guess will work.”

— Nat Greene

“Keep in mind that the method you choose to guide you is of little use without strong problem-solving behaviors.”

— Nat Greene

“Even when diving into a problem, there’s a fear of looking ignorant or “stupid” by asking questions one is “supposed to know.”

— Nat Greene